In this episode of Life’s Tough: Explorers Are Tougher, host Richard Wiese sits down with marine biologist and shark conservationist Dr. Rachel Graham. A true global citizen, Rachel’s upbringing in Tunisia and North Africa shaped her fearless approach to science, community engagement, and wildlife protection. Today, she leads MarAlliance, a nonprofit focused on marine conservation, especially sharks and rays.

Rachel reflects on the profound influence of her mother’s development work, how early exposure to different cultures led to a unique connection with people in the field, and what it means to build science that actually serves communities. She discusses the deep intelligence and misunderstood nature of sharks, the importance of local ecological knowledge, and why conservation needs empathy as much as data.

If you’ve ever wondered how science, storytelling, and compassion can reshape our relationship with the sea, this is the episode for you.

This is Life's Tough, Explorers Are Tougher, with your host, Richard Weiss. Scratch the surface of an explorer and you'll find an adventure and a great story. This show is about their tales.

This podcast is a proud supporter of the Explorers Club and the EC50 Initiative. 50 people changing the world that the world needs to know about. For more information, go to explorers.org.